FSBA Daily Updates: Legislative Session 05-01-2014

TODAY’S HAPPENINGSIn the Senate Session:Bills on 2nd ReadingSB 1512 – Education / Scholarship Programs by Stargel – READ 2ND TIME; RETAINED ON CALENDARAuthorizing the Auditor General to conduct audits of the accounts and records of nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations; establishing the Florida Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts; revising eligibility requirements for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program; providing standard high school diploma requirements for certain students with disabilities; prohibiting a school district from imposing additional requirements on private instructional personnel or charging fees, etc. [NOTE: In a procedural move, legislators prevented HB 7167 from being substituted for SB 1512 or to amend either bill. In addition, neither bill was placed on 3rd Reading, making it highly unlikely that either of these bills will receive further consideration in the Senate this year. However, it is still too early to assume that these bills are “dead”.]

SB 950 – Educator Certification & Assignment by Stargel – READ 2ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 433; SB 950 LAID ON THE TABLEHB 433 – Educator Certification & Assignment by Spano – SUBSTITUTED FOR SB 950; READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3RD READINGProviding requirements for certain instructional personnel who supervise or direct preservice field experience courses or internships; authorizing a school district to assign to a school that has earned failing grades certain newly hired instructional personnel; revising acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge, subject area knowledge, and professional preparation and education competence; authorizing a consortium of certain charter schools to develop a professional development system, etc.

SB 598 – Juvenile Justice Education Programs by Bean – NOT CONSIDERED; RETAINED ON CALENDARRevising requirements for the multiagency education plan for students in juvenile justice education programs, including virtual education as an option; authorizing instructional personnel at all juvenile justice facilities to access specific student records at the district; providing expectations for effective education programs for students in Department of Juvenile Justice programs; requiring the Department of Education to ensure that juvenile justice students who are eligible have access to high school equivalency testing and assist juvenile justice education programs with becoming high school equivalency testing centers, etc.

SB 790 – Education Technology by Legg – NOT CONSIDERED; RETAINED ON CALENDARProviding the purpose for the Florida digital classrooms allocation; requiring the State Board of Education to adopt a Florida digital classrooms plan that establishes certain protocols, parameters, requirements, and digital tools; repealing provisions relating to a pilot program for the transition to electronic and digital instructional materials; establishing the Florida Center for Library Automation, etc.

SB 1394 – Education / Merit Designation by Legg – NOT CONSIDERED; RETAINED ON CALENDARAdding a superintendent of schools to the membership of the Children and Youth Cabinet; revising the requirements to earn a Merit designation on a standard high school diploma, etc.

Bills on 3rd ReadingHB 7069 – Early Learning by Education – TEMPORARILY POSTPONED; RETAINED ON CALENDARProviding a directive to the Division of Law Revision and Information; including large family child care homes in local zoning regulation requirements; providing requirements for nonpublic schools delivering certain voluntary prekindergarten education programs and school readiness programs; revising provisions for licensure, registration, and operation of family day care homes; requiring a child care facility operating as a provider of certain voluntary prekindergarten education programs or child care programs to comply with minimum standards, etc.

SB 66 – Discretionary Sales Surtaxes by Flores – READ 3RD TIME; AMENDED; PASSED THE SENATEAuthorizing a county as defined in s. 125.011(1), F.S., to levy a surtax up to a specified amount for the benefit of a Florida College System institution and a state university in the county pursuant to an ordinance conditioned to take effect upon approval in a county referendum; establishing an oversight board with specified duties, responsibilities, and requirements relating to the expenditure of surtax proceeds; requiring that the board of trustees of each institution receiving surtax proceeds prepare an annual plan for submission to the oversight board for approval; providing that state funding may not be reduced because an institution receives surtax funds, etc. [NOTE: As written, this bill would be applicable only in Miami-Dade County. Because it was amended in the Senate, the bill must be returned to the House for consideration.]

SB 1114 – Florida Retirement System by Community Affairs – TEMPORARILY POSTPONEDRevising the definition of “vested” or “vesting” to provide that a member initially enrolled in the Florida Retirement System after a certain date is vested in the pension plan after completing 10 years of creditable service; providing for compulsory membership in the Florida Retirement System Investment Plan for certain members of the Elected Officers’ Class initially enrolled after a certain date; authorizing renewed membership in the retirement system for retirees who are reemployed in a position eligible for the Elected Officers’ Class under certain circumstances, etc. [NOTE: In a procedural move, legislators prevented the House bill from being considered as a substitute for SB 1114, making it highly unlikely that the bill will receive any further consideration this year.]

HB 851 – Resident Status for Tuition Purposes by Nuñez – READ 3RD TIME; AMENDED; PASSED THE SENATEAmending provisions relating to the determination of resident status for tuition purposes; revising certain residency requirements for a dependent child; prohibiting denial of classification as a resident for tuition purposes based on certain immigration status; classifying persons who receive certain tuition exemptions or waivers as residents for tuition purposes; revising provisions relating to the tuition waiver for a recipient of a Purple Heart or another combat decoration superior in precedence, etc. [NOTE: Because this bill was amended in the Senate, it must be returned to the House for consideration.]

Bills in Messages from the HouseSB 864 – Instructional Materials by Hays – CONCURRED WITH AMENDMENT(S); PASSED THE SENATE; PASSED THE LEGISLATURERetains the state-level adoption process; retains the local OPTION for the school board to handle its own textbook adoption process; providing that each district school board is responsible for the content of all instructional materials used in a classroom; requiring district school boards to provide a process for public review of, and comment on, instructional materials; provides additional requirements for those school districts that choose to exercise the option for local instructional materials review and adoption; revises criteria for state-level instructional materials reviewers; requires school boards to adopt a policy outlining a process for parental objection of instructional materials and a process by which a parent may contest the district school board’s adoption of a specific instructional material; etc. [NOTE: This final version of the bill is a vast improvement over the bill(s) that were initially filed. This final version should be much more workable for school districts.]

SB 674 – Background Screening by Bean – CONCURRED WITH AMENDMENT; PASSED THE SENATE; PASSED THE LEGISLATUREAuthorizing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to share reproductions of driver license images with the Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration for specified purposes; revising provisions relating to the exemption of certain membership organizations affiliated with national organizations from certain child care facility licensing requirements; exempting a person whose fingerprints are already enrolled in a certain Federal Bureau of Investigation program from the requirement that such fingerprints be forwarded to the bureau, etc.

In the House Session:Bills in Messages from the SenateHB 7031 – Education / Repealer by K-12 – CONCURRED WITH AMENDMENT; PASSED THE HOUSE; PASSED THE LEGISLATURERevises & repeals various provisions relating to education; revises course & assessment requirements for promotion to high school & for award of standard high school diploma; provides course & assessment requirements for graduation for certain cohorts of high school students transitioning to new graduation requirements; revises & conforms provisions relating to selection & purchase of instructional materials, statewide assessment program, education personnel, & educational facilities.

SB 846 – Governmental Ethics by Latvala – READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSESpecifying the applicability of certain provisions of the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees to certain elected municipal officials and to members of the executive council of the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation; authorizing the Commission on Ethics to initiate an investigation and hold a public hearing without receipt of a complaint in certain circumstances, etc. [NOTE: Because this bill was amended in the House, it must be returned to the Senate for consideration.]

COMING UP TOMORROWOn the last day of the Session, both chambers will be considering the Conference Reports on the Budget, Implementing, and Conforming bills. In addition, the chambers will be swapping bills in Messages between the chambers and may also take up any bills that remain on their Calendars. Tomorrow evening, we will provide you with a preliminary list of the education related bills that have passed during this session as well as a list of key bills that DID NOT pass. Also, we have begun compiling our annual FSBA Legislative Session Summary that provides an analysis of the education budget and detailed summaries of the education related bills that were passed during the Session. We will make sections of the Summary available as soon as they are completed.